DERBY, England — In the first case of its kind, a British court has convicted three Muslim men — who claimed they were acting under teachings of their religion — of openly advocating the execution of gays.
Jurors in Derby, England, on Jan. 20 found Ihjaz Ali, Kabir Ahmed and Razwan Javed guilty of trying to stir up hatred by handing out provocative pamphlets calling for homosexuals to be put to death.
They were convicted under new legislation in Britain that imposes penalties for distributing written material designed to incite tensions because of sexual orientation — the first such case since the law went into effect 22 months ago.
During their two-week trial, Ahmed denied the charge, claiming instead that “my intention was to do my duty as a Muslim, to inform people of God’s word and to give the message on what God says about homosexuality.”
The three were charged with handing out leaflets titled “The Death Penalty?” which showed a mannequin hanging from a noose around its throat.
Conviction carries a maximum prison term of seven years; sentencing was not known at press time.
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